Michael Landy was born in Hackney, east London, in 1963. His father was a tunnel miner, his mother a nurse. He graduated from Goldsmiths College in the early 1990s, and in February 2001 he systematically destroyed everything he owned in the name of art. He called the process Break Down. His drawings are currently being exhibited at the São Paulo Biennial, and his etchings of street flowers will be published by Paragon Press later this year. He lives with his girlfriend in London.

What is your greatest fear?

Waking up alongside Gary Hume.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Drivers who sound their car horns as an alternative to knocking on the door.